Whose was/is the best?

Originally Posted by somerfrost

I have Phar Lap at #32, just after Pot8os at #31. FYI, Elusive Pimpernel came in at #99 with Sinndar and Giants Causeway tied at #100.

OK ... I completely agree with each of those rankings.

So ... where do you have Barcaldine, Flying Fox, Ormonde, Hindoo, Commando, Galopin, Hamburg, St. Frusquin, Springfield, Rock Sand, Bahram, Cyllene, Hyperion, Isinglass, Carbine, and Mayan King?

And shouldn't your #31 horse be spelled "Pot-oooooooo" as it was originally scrawled outside his stall?

And how long do you think it will be before all thoroughbreds trace directly from Whalebone?

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by Bold Brooklynite

OK ... I completely agree with each of those rankings.

So ... where do you have Barcaldine, Flying Fox, Ormonde, Hindoo, Commando, Galopin, Hamburg, St. Frusquin, Springfield, Rock Sand, Bahram, Cyllene, Hyperion, Isinglass, Carbine, and Mayan King?

And shouldn't your #31 horse be spelled "Pot-oooooooo" as it was originally scrawled outside his stall?

And how long do you think it will be before all thoroughbreds trace directly from Whalebone?

Many I don't have in top 100...Hyperion is #35, Ormonde is #36, and Isinglass is #46. Potoooooooo's name was shortened to Pot8os I believe by his groom (not sure) and he's usually referred to thusly. Over 90% of all modern sires already trace to Whalebone. The son of Waxy, he the son of Pot8os...Pot8os of course the son of the great Eclipse!

[dellinger63]

Sommer
Thanks for including Exterminator.100 starts 50 wins 17 seconds and 17 thirds is absolutely amazing to me. Won at distances ranging from 6f to 2 miles and "Old Bones" is my favorite though he probably wasn't the 'greatest' ever.
What a thrill it must have been to be the owner of a horse who finished in the money 84 times out of 100.

[TheSpyder]

Google Arkle. BB I'm impressed

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by TheSpyder

Google Arkle. BB I'm impressed

Arkle stands alone over fences, I only include horses who raced over the flat in my rankings!

[brockguy]

Originally Posted by somerfrost

Arkle stands alone over fences, I only include horses who raced over the flat in my rankings!

Arkle is ridicously famous here.. Great story of him being fed 2 bottles of Guinness a day.. He simply was extraordinary giving other champions of his era 28pounds or more over 3miles plus and destroying them.. Cant be compared with flat but any jumps fan would tell you that he is the best ever, Only Flyingbolt comes close.


On the flat, Id regard Ribot, Sea Bird as the best turf horses there has ever been, both unbelievable racehorses!

Originally Posted by somerfrost

Arkle stands alone over fences, I only include horses who raced over the flat in my rankings!

Well ... at least you're making some distinctions ... instead of trying to evaluate every single thoroughbred who has ever been registered ... and even some who raced before there was a registry.

But you still haven't told us your evaluation method. For instance ... why is Hyperion on the list ... while Bahram isn't ... when every knowledgable British authority of the 1930's rated Bahram as being much better?

And ... how did you compare Flying Childers ... a British foal of 1715 who competed in only three competitive races at ages 6 and 7 ... facing a total of four opponents ... with, say, Forego ... an American foal of 1970 ... who competed 57 times from 3 to 8 ... and faced hundreds of opponents ... and conclude that Flying Childers was the better race horse?

And how did you compare Henry Of Navarre with Lammtarra ... and which did you conclude was better?

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

I think that Spectacular Bid was the greatest route horse ever to set foot on the racetrack. After doing some research and reading about him, I think he was even better than Secretariat.

[TheSpyder]

I meant I was impressed with the horse...not you

Originally Posted by Bold Brooklynite

Well ... at least you're making some distinctions ... instead of trying to evaluate every single thoroughbred who has ever been registered ... and even some who raced before there was a registry.

But you still haven't told us your evaluation method. For instance ... why is Hyperion on the list ... while Bahram isn't ... when every knowledgable British authority of the 1930's rated Bahram as being much better?

And ... how did you compare Flying Childers ... a British foal of 1715 who competed in only three competitive races at ages 6 and 7 ... facing a total of four opponents ... with, say, Forego ... an American foal of 1970 ... who competed 57 times from 3 to 8 ... and faced hundreds of opponents ... and conclude that Flying Childers was the better race horse?

And how did you compare Henry Of Navarre with Lammtarra ... and which did you conclude was better?

Originally Posted by TheSpyder

BB I'm impressed

It took you long enough ... but ...

... stick around ... you'll be typing those words a lot.

In fact ... it may be easier if you just copy and paste them after each of my posts.

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

Sommer
Thanks for including Exterminator.100 starts 50 wins 17 seconds and 17 thirds is absolutely amazing to me. Won at distances ranging from 6f to 2 miles and "Old Bones" is my favorite though he probably wasn't the 'greatest' ever.
What a thrill it must have been to be the owner of a horse who finished in the money 84 times out of 100.

It's also a fact that the connections of Man O War ducked this horse....he was a warrior!

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by somerfrost

It's also a fact that the connections of Man O War ducked this horse....he was a warrior!

not so somer. the geldings connections were invited to what turned out to be a match race between sir barton and man o war. was originally to be a 'threesome'. i've read about this before, and posted info regarding this topic and the fact that mow has suffered an unwarranted black eye...

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by Danzig188

not so somer. the geldings connections were invited to what turned out to be a match race between sir barton and man o war. was originally to be a 'threesome'. i've read about this before, and posted info regarding this topic and the fact that mow has suffered an unwarranted black eye...

Well, consider this then:
http://www.thoroughbredchampions.com...terminator.htm

I've read more detailed discussions elsewhere but this is a good summation!

[Danzig]

somer, i put up on the other board some time ago about the supposed 'ducking' and plenty to show that it didn't happen. i guess you missed it....i have every t'bred champ book, so i doubt there isn't anything i haven't seen since i read them all.

i just believe horses should be judged by what they did, not what they had no chance to do. man o war still has records on the books. the simple fact that he is still spoken of so highly after all these years speaks volumes.

[JJP]

I'm only going to go back to 1980, since other than the TC races, I didn't follow racing before then:

Distance: (male) Spectacular Bid (female) Princess Rooney
Sprinter: (male) Artax (female) Safely Kept
Turf: (male) tie- Manila & John Henry (female) Miesque